(Human) Nature: A Reality Tale

Once upon a time

Humans decided the world

Wasn’t good enough

And started building furiously.

They created cities miles into the sky,

Stretching out like giants.

Roads went on forever and ever;

The land groaned underneath the weight.

But humanity was not satisfied.

Soon, the buzzing of bees and

The chirping of birds

Were replaced by

The sounds of cars whooshing past.

Nature was substituted by

Artifice

Yet people called it a

Wonderful world.

This is part of a poem book I had to do last year. My theme was the relationship between humans and nature, hence the title (Human) Nature.

Dying Flowers

Bowed heads

accept their fate;

still beautiful as they

start to decay.

Petals fall one
by one,
fluttering to the floor
quietly.

Stems too brittle
to support
anything.

How is it that

death

can still contain
such brilliance
and beauty?

Other Side of the Wall

On this side

of the wall

there is:

darkness;

crowds;

people.

 All we can 

really see is just

a broken wall.

But a window

is open,

giving us

a fresh breath of air

and light from

a different part of the world;

which makes us all wonder:

"What's on the other side of the wall?"

This was taken at the Distillery District, when they were doing some construction. As the builders took a break from tearing down an old building, a wall still stood, most of it broken. But the way the window was open and shone light was fascinating, which made me think that perhaps there's something more to the wall then we think. 

Cycle

Young saplings

cling tightly to their

nurse log;

an ended life

nourishes a new one.

The log slowly rots away

back into the ground, 

while the saplings reach

for the sunlight

and sky. 

Death must support

life,

life must supply

for death,

or else the world

would collapse;

a never ending cycle

that is vital to our Earth.

Just needed something to cheer me up after the sad, angry thoughts I had yesterday. This was taken in the Niagara Escarpment area in the summer.

Don't

A phone call in the night

and your world has ended;

shattered into a million pieces

that time will never heal.

A choice

that can never be forgotten,

a ripple effect

that hurts everyone around you.

Faces of people

that you have known

or loved

covered in blood;

staring with blank,

unblinking eyes.

The world spins around you,

yet you insist

that you are still fine,

but inside you know you aren't.

Families broken,
heart is broken,
life is broken.


One mistake.
One crash.
Everything happens 
in a split second.

Why do they have to be hurt because

of someone who couldn't

make the right choice?

Why do others have to

pay the price

for the actions of others?

So do me a favour,

do yourself a favour,

do a favour to all of us.

Don't drink and drive.

In school today, we watched a shocking presentation by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) about the stories of real-life people being hurt by drunk-driving. It was so sad to see how people make such stupid mistakes, which causes consequences for many people. So please, if you ever see someone go to drive somewhere drunk, or if you are drinking, or someone get hit by a drunk-driver, don't ignore it. Do something about it.

Main Street, Seattle

A mixture

of old and new

meet on Main Street;

where cars mingle with 

horse drawn carriages,

and popular chain stores

are in century-old

buildings.

Go to a place

where rooms used to be 

75 cents,

where buildings fashionable

in the early century

still live.

Where you can buy

a cup of coffee

and visit funky stores

to see new trends. 

Old-fashioned lamps

light up the streets

alongside silver skyscrapers.

Newly paved roads

run over hills,

racing past an ornately decorated

streetcar stop.

History preserved perfectly

among the proceeding

technology.

A glimpse of the past

and a taste of the future;

a place where time

has no meaning.

These pictures were taken in Seattle. It struck me how amazing the history was preserved here, with many historical sights. The first picture was of an old building across from a park, and the second picture is of another building that used to be a hotel.

Life Story Thread

Life is constantly being 

written

as we go on

through time.

Years fly by

with new chapters 

inscribed onto

our hearts;

with small stories of

love,

hate, 

happiness,

and sadness.

Our lives are just stories

woven into the tapestry

of eternity;

separate threads

have no strength

or meaning,

but when fitted together

they create

something of meaning

and beauty.

Ruins

Broken cement and bricks

lie on the ground;

irrevocably broken,

a now unsolvable puzzle.

Wires and metal

snake through

the gaps and holes;

useless now 

to the dead structures.

Nature reclaiming

the land,

using the things

that we have thrown

away

to create something new.

Nature's Stairway

Roots hungrily grasp

at the rocks,

scrabbling to find the soil.

Trees lean dangerously

towards the sunlight,

until it seems that anymore

growth will send it toppling

to the river below.

Moss clings

to the trunks

and the stone,

tinting everything with 

velvety green.

Needles and fallen leaves

decompose

into the dirt,

creating a base for new life.

Erosion wore away to reveal

a stairway beneath

that leads 

to the forest beyond.

Climb one step,

then another,

and enter a different world

where we belong to the Earth,

and not the other way around. 

This was taken in the Niagara Escarpment area, in the summer time. 

Word Sickness

Thoughts and words

pound on my mind;

pacing around

they can't find a way out.

My writing has no meaning

anymore;

they are just

jumbled up letters

with nothing special about them.

I'm sick with
forced poems
and thoughts.
My mouth stings with bile
from word-vomiting,
and yet I still stick
my metaphorical fingers
into my throat,
hoping something
that makes sense comes out.

I need to regain my senses
and feelings.
I need to rest
until the sickness of mine
is healed.

Crawling Time

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Time is

c     r     a     w     l     i     n     g

torturously slow,

with all of us waiting

for the bell

to ring.

Seconds feel

like minutes,

minutes like hours;

all of us

hoping for

time to speed up

and to get this

over with.

  

Visit to N.T

I step into 

the crowd of people;

crushed and squeezed from all sides,

laughter and talking

 buzzing in my ear.

I search for you 

and then smile,

you look as overwhelmed as

I feel.

I wave until I grab your attention,

and then I start to walk along the edge,

trying to avoid

the elbows and backpacks

pointed every which way.

We look around together,

taking in the feel 

of a different school;

knowing that possibly

we would spend

our next four years

in the same place

where we are standing.

But for now,

we are just tourists to high school;

strangers to the teachers

and students,

to the inhabitants

of North Toronto. 

Gossip

Back-stabbing whispers

haunt halls

and minds;

secrets told

and promises forgotten.

In just a second

it destroys reputations,

forms prejudices and stereotypes

all because

of one little whisper.

It poisons our blood

and messes with your head,

creates cages that we cannot

escape.

One little rumour,

a little gossip,

and our world is turned

upside down.

Colony

A whole world

contained in a hole;

a colony's life contained within.

Swarms flowing in 

and out;

a current of activity

comes out of the darkness

of the hollow log.

Something so small

can contain so much life.

City Nature

Many people say that the city is lifeless;

totally void of nature.

But they are wrong.

Look around.

Green lives 

in the sidewalk cracks;

birds navigate the maze

of buildings;

insects create their tiny world 

along the ground.

Look again.

Realize how adaptive

nature is

to the environment;

how resilient it can be.

Let us remember this.

The city is just

another ecosystem,

as diverse

as any other.

Tribute to Friends

You will always be

remembered by me,

even after we

part ways

I'll remember the one

who stood by my side

and lent me a hand

when I needed it.

I'll remember

the one who shared my feelings,

like siblings in all

but genetics.

Even after 

the last time I see you,

I'll save a small part

of my heart

to remember

one of the greatest people

I know.

December Weather

The snow slowly

m

e

l

t

s

away,

exposing the grass underneath;

plants and animals tricked

into thinking that 

winter has already ended.

What had happened?

Freak weather 

and some 8 degrees temperature;

a strange,

warm winter.

Pointing Nowhere

Signs pointing

to nowhere

and nobody;

useless.

They sit in a clearing

besides the path,

out of place with all of the

trees and grass.

Questions are whispered as

people pass by:

"Who put them there?"

"What are they for?"

"Why are they there?"

But the signs can't talk,

so people leave the oddity

of signs pointing nowhere.

This was taken at the Brickworks in the summer, during some construction. Someone had placed them there, and no one passing by knew why or who.

Happy 2011

New hope

New celebrations

New sorrows

New joy

New love

New peace

New news

New traditions

New possibilities

New potential

New discoveries

New understanding

New

New

New

.....

.....

Happy New Year Everybody!